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Spartan NFL Combine Report: Friday
3/4/2022 11:48:00 PM | Football
INDIANAPOLIS – All-American running back, Doak Walker Award winner and Walter Camp Player of the Year Kenneth Walker III tested in front of NFL coaches, scouts and front-office personnel on Friday on the second day of the on-field portion of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Walker, who is widely projected to be the No. 1 running back taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, showed why he is such a tantalizing prospect for NFL teams with an impressive performance.
The Big Ten Running Back of the Year ran a blazing 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, tied for the third-fastest time among the 27 running backs who tested on Friday.
He also recorded a leap of 10'2" in the broad jump and posted a 34-inch vertical jump, both of which ranked among the top 10 for running backs in those respective drills.
In just one year at Michigan State in 2021 after transferring from Wake Forest, Walker had a historic season, leading the Power 5 and ranking second in the FBS with 1,636 rushing yards (136.3 ypg) while ranking tied for eighth with 18 rushing touchdowns. He was named a unanimous All-American, the Big Ten Running Back of the Year, the AP Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Maxwell Award while finishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
While Walker put up gaudy numbers out of the backfield at Michigan State, he's out to show the NFL scouts he's a complete running back.
"I believe I'm an all-around back," Walker said during his media availability on Thursday. "If I need to go run a route out of the backfield, I can do that, or if I need to get a yard on third down, I can do that as well."
Walker not only led the Big Ten in rushing with 136.3 yards per game, but in all-purpose yards as well with 143.8 ypg, catching 13 passes for 89 yards during the season, including a TD reception at Miami. He's proven he can catch the ball and make defenders miss, something he put on display during the position drills on Friday.
With his impressive showing on Friday, Walker was named one of the "winners" of the day by NFL.com.
"Walker staked his claim to the No. 1 spot at running back on Friday night," wrote Chad Reuter, draft analyst for NFL.com.
Tight end Connor Heyward and wide receiver Jalen Nailor tested at the NFL Combine on Thursday (Recap available here).
The next step on the way to the NFL Draft is MSU's Pro Day, which is scheduled for March 16 in East Lansing.
The 2022 NFL Draft is set for April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
A LOOK AT KENNETH WALKER III
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Transfer from Wake Forest joined the Spartan program in January 2021 and made an immediate impact in one record-breaking season in East Lansing . . . played in a total of 32 collegiate games (20 at Wake Forest from 2019-20, 12 at Michigan State in 2021) . . . rushed for 2,794 yards and 35 TDs on 480 carries in his career (1,158 yards and 17 TDs at Wake Forest in 2020-21; 1,636 yards and 18 TDs at MSU in 2021) . . . finished his collegiate career with 3,069 all-purpose yards (1,344 at Wake Forest; 1,725 at MSU) and 36 total TDs (17 rushing at Wake Forest; 18 rushing and one receiving at MSU) . . . had 13 100-yard rushing games in career (two at Wake Forest in 2019; three at Wake Forest in 2020; eight at Michigan State in 2021).
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR AT MICHIGAN STATE): Became the first ever Michigan State player to win the Walter Camp National Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award . . . finished sixth overall in the Heisman Trophy voting, the best showing for a Spartan since 1988 . . . named a consensus All-American as a unanimous first-team selection (AFCA, Associated Press, Sporting News, FWAA, Walter Camp, ESPN.com, CBS Sports, Phil Steele, Pro Football Focus, The Athletic) . . . named the Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year . . . earned first-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media . . . named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press . . . named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award . . . won the Big Ten rushing title, averaging 136.3 yards per game, and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the FBS and No. 1 in the Power 5 in rushing yards per game (136.3) and total rushing yards (1,636) . . . started all 12 games in the regular season but opted out of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft . . . ranked among MSU's single-season leaders in rushing yards per game (third with 136.3 ypg), rushing yards (fourth with 1,636), points (fourth with 114), total TDs (fourth with 19), rushing TDs (tied for fifth with 18), all-purpose yards (10th with 1,725), rushing average (10th with 6.22 avg.) and carries (11th with 263) . . . led the FBS in rushing for 10 weeks during the regular season . . . also led the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (143.8 ypg) . . . according to Pro Football Focus, led the FBS in rushing yards after contact (1,168) and ranked second with 89 missed forced tackles . . . also ranked among the FBS leaders in 20-plus yard carries (first with 21), 10-plus yard carries (tied for third with 46), yards from scrimmage (sixth with 143.8 ypg), rushing TDs (eighth with 18), carries (eighth with 263), scoring (11th with 9.5 ppg), total TDs (ninth with 19) and rushing yards per carry (15th with 6.2 avg.) . . . in addition to finishing No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing and all-purpose yards, ranked among the league leaders in rushing TDs (second), scoring (second), total TDs (second) and rushing yards per carry (fourth) . . . had eight 100-yard rushing games, including two for 200-plus yards (264 vs. Northwestern and 233 vs. Rutgers) . . . first carry of Michigan game on Oct. 30 was for 8 yards, putting him over the 1,000-mark for the season . . . became the fastest Spartan to reach 1,000 yards in terms of carries in MSU history (153 carries; previous, Javon Ringer in 2007 with 154) . . . set a school record for longest rushing play with a 94-yard touchdown at Rutgers on Oct. 9, bettering a 90-yard by Lynn Chandnois vs. Arizona in 1949 . . . it was also the longest offensive play from scrimmage in school history, topping the 93-yard pass from Tony Banks to Nigea Carter vs. Indiana in 1994 . . . scored five rushing TDs in win over No. 6 Michigan, the most ever against the Wolverines; that mark also tied for No. 1 in the FBS in a game in 2021 . . . had two of the top-14 single-game rushing performances in the FBS in 2021 (tied for No. 5 with 264 yards at Northwestern; No. 14 with 233 yards at Rutgers) . . . had at least one rushing TD in eight of the 12 games and 18 rushing TDs overall on the season (1.5 rushing TD/game), adding one receiving TD for 19 total TDs (1.6 total TD/game) . . . recorded eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 138 yards on a career-high tying 30 carries vs. Penn State, scoring one TD on a 2-yard run in the first quarter, rushing for a long of 35 yards . . . held to season lows in yards (25) and carries (6), and had 29 yards from scrimmage overall (4-yard reception) at Ohio State; only played in one series in the second half for a total of 23 offensive snaps against the Buckeyes . . . collected seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season with 143 yards on a career-high 30 carries vs. Maryland . . . also tallied 172 all-purpose yards (two catches for 29 yards, including season-long 17-yarder) and scored two touchdowns (1 yard in second quarter; 3 yards in fourth quarter) against theTerrapins . . . posted sixth 100-yard rushing outing of the season with 136 yards on 22 carries (6.2 ypc) at Purdue, and scored 15th rushing TD and 16th overall TD of the season with a 14-yard score in the second quarter, adding two catches for 20 yards to finish with 156 all-purpose yards . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, Maxwell Award National Player of the Week, The Athletic National Player of the Week and PFF Player of the Week for standout performance vs. Michigan, rushing for five touchdowns (27 yards and 8 yards in second quarter; 1 yard in third quarter; 58 yards and 23 yards in fourth quarter), the most ever against Michigan . . . according to PFF, was the highest-graded single-game rushing grade vs. Michigan in the PFF College Era (90.8), bettering previous mark of Dalvin Cook of Florida State (88.4) in 2016 and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin (81.6) in 2019 . . . the five TDs tied for the second most in school history (record: six by Blake Ezor vs. Northwestern in 1989; five by Javon Ringer vs. Eastern Michigan in 2008) . . . the five rushing TDs were the most by any player in the 114-game history of the rivalry . . . three rushing TDs came in second half alone on a Michigan defense that came into game only allowing only three rushing TDs all season . . . rushed for 197 yards on 23 carries (8.6 avg.), the third most by a Spartan against Michigan (T.J. Duckett with 211 yards in 2001; DeAndra Cobb with 205 in 2004) . . . also had three catches for 11 yards for 208 all-purpose yards . . . had 23 carries for 84 yards at Indiana . . . finished game at Rutgers with 24 carries for 233 yards, highlighted by a school-record 94-yard run that was the longest rush in SHI Stadium history overall by any player home or visitor, bettering the previous record of 91 yards by Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers vs. Tulane in 2010, and added one reception for 13 yards to finish with 246 all-purpose yards . . . in win over Rutgers, teamed with quarterback Payton Thorne (339 yards passing) and wide receiver Jalen Nailor (221 yards receiving) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, with MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . posted third 100-yard rushing game of the season with 126 yards on 24 carries in Western Kentucky contest, scoring three touchdowns in the first half (5, 5 and 3 yards) . . . had 19 carries for 61 yards against Nebraska, including a 23-yard gain on MSU's first play in OT, setting up game-winning field goal . . . registered second 100-yard rushing outing of the season, with 172 yards on 27 carries at Miami, and recorded first reception of the season with a second-quarter catch and later snared the first TD reception of his collegiate career with a 7-yard TD pass from Thorne, finishing game with three catches for 17 yards and a TD . . . had seven carries for 57 yards (8.1 ypc) with a 6-yard TD rush in limited action against Youngstown State, pushing and carrying several YSU defenders with him to the end zone . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and Maxwell Award National Player of the Week after erupting onto the scene in Spartan debut, taking handoff on opening offensive play of game and scampering 75 yards for opening TD, the first of four rushing touchdowns and ending with career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in MSU history – on 23 carries . . . it marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White . . . was the first time a Spartan scored four rushing TDs in a game since Edwin Baker in 2010 vs. Minnesota . . . according to ESPN Stats and Information, became the first Big Ten running back with 250-plus rushing yards and four rushing TDs in a single game since Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) in 2014 . . . according to Sports Info Solutions, since they began tracking yards after contact in 2016, no Big Ten running back generated more in a conference game than his 187 in Northwestern game, bettering previous top mark of 185 by Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) in 2017 and 182 by Saquon Barkley (Penn State) . . . was the first Spartan to record more than 200 rushing yards in a game since Le'Veon Bell (2012 at Minnesota, 266 yards) . . . the 264 yards were the most by a Spartan running back in an MSU season opener.
Walker, who is widely projected to be the No. 1 running back taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, showed why he is such a tantalizing prospect for NFL teams with an impressive performance.
The Big Ten Running Back of the Year ran a blazing 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, tied for the third-fastest time among the 27 running backs who tested on Friday.
In case you missed it! K9's first attempt at the 40-yard dash 🐶
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) March 5, 2022
Don't forget to tune-in to the #NFLCombine March 3-6 on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/6qoZsEh4t2
He also recorded a leap of 10'2" in the broad jump and posted a 34-inch vertical jump, both of which ranked among the top 10 for running backs in those respective drills.
In just one year at Michigan State in 2021 after transferring from Wake Forest, Walker had a historic season, leading the Power 5 and ranking second in the FBS with 1,636 rushing yards (136.3 ypg) while ranking tied for eighth with 18 rushing touchdowns. He was named a unanimous All-American, the Big Ten Running Back of the Year, the AP Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Maxwell Award while finishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
While Walker put up gaudy numbers out of the backfield at Michigan State, he's out to show the NFL scouts he's a complete running back.
"I believe I'm an all-around back," Walker said during his media availability on Thursday. "If I need to go run a route out of the backfield, I can do that, or if I need to get a yard on third down, I can do that as well."
Walker not only led the Big Ten in rushing with 136.3 yards per game, but in all-purpose yards as well with 143.8 ypg, catching 13 passes for 89 yards during the season, including a TD reception at Miami. He's proven he can catch the ball and make defenders miss, something he put on display during the position drills on Friday.
He can catch too 😤 @Kenneth_Walker9
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) March 5, 2022
Don't forget to tune-in to the #NFLCombine March 3-6 on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/htoLzZFIJd
With his impressive showing on Friday, Walker was named one of the "winners" of the day by NFL.com.
"Walker staked his claim to the No. 1 spot at running back on Friday night," wrote Chad Reuter, draft analyst for NFL.com.
Tight end Connor Heyward and wide receiver Jalen Nailor tested at the NFL Combine on Thursday (Recap available here).
The next step on the way to the NFL Draft is MSU's Pro Day, which is scheduled for March 16 in East Lansing.
The 2022 NFL Draft is set for April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
.@Kenneth_Walker9 signing out from Night 2 of the #NFLCombine 👋 @MSU_Football pic.twitter.com/0xcWaiWbMw
— NFL (@NFL) March 5, 2022
A LOOK AT KENNETH WALKER III
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Transfer from Wake Forest joined the Spartan program in January 2021 and made an immediate impact in one record-breaking season in East Lansing . . . played in a total of 32 collegiate games (20 at Wake Forest from 2019-20, 12 at Michigan State in 2021) . . . rushed for 2,794 yards and 35 TDs on 480 carries in his career (1,158 yards and 17 TDs at Wake Forest in 2020-21; 1,636 yards and 18 TDs at MSU in 2021) . . . finished his collegiate career with 3,069 all-purpose yards (1,344 at Wake Forest; 1,725 at MSU) and 36 total TDs (17 rushing at Wake Forest; 18 rushing and one receiving at MSU) . . . had 13 100-yard rushing games in career (two at Wake Forest in 2019; three at Wake Forest in 2020; eight at Michigan State in 2021).
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR AT MICHIGAN STATE): Became the first ever Michigan State player to win the Walter Camp National Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award . . . finished sixth overall in the Heisman Trophy voting, the best showing for a Spartan since 1988 . . . named a consensus All-American as a unanimous first-team selection (AFCA, Associated Press, Sporting News, FWAA, Walter Camp, ESPN.com, CBS Sports, Phil Steele, Pro Football Focus, The Athletic) . . . named the Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year . . . earned first-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media . . . named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press . . . named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award . . . won the Big Ten rushing title, averaging 136.3 yards per game, and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the FBS and No. 1 in the Power 5 in rushing yards per game (136.3) and total rushing yards (1,636) . . . started all 12 games in the regular season but opted out of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft . . . ranked among MSU's single-season leaders in rushing yards per game (third with 136.3 ypg), rushing yards (fourth with 1,636), points (fourth with 114), total TDs (fourth with 19), rushing TDs (tied for fifth with 18), all-purpose yards (10th with 1,725), rushing average (10th with 6.22 avg.) and carries (11th with 263) . . . led the FBS in rushing for 10 weeks during the regular season . . . also led the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (143.8 ypg) . . . according to Pro Football Focus, led the FBS in rushing yards after contact (1,168) and ranked second with 89 missed forced tackles . . . also ranked among the FBS leaders in 20-plus yard carries (first with 21), 10-plus yard carries (tied for third with 46), yards from scrimmage (sixth with 143.8 ypg), rushing TDs (eighth with 18), carries (eighth with 263), scoring (11th with 9.5 ppg), total TDs (ninth with 19) and rushing yards per carry (15th with 6.2 avg.) . . . in addition to finishing No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing and all-purpose yards, ranked among the league leaders in rushing TDs (second), scoring (second), total TDs (second) and rushing yards per carry (fourth) . . . had eight 100-yard rushing games, including two for 200-plus yards (264 vs. Northwestern and 233 vs. Rutgers) . . . first carry of Michigan game on Oct. 30 was for 8 yards, putting him over the 1,000-mark for the season . . . became the fastest Spartan to reach 1,000 yards in terms of carries in MSU history (153 carries; previous, Javon Ringer in 2007 with 154) . . . set a school record for longest rushing play with a 94-yard touchdown at Rutgers on Oct. 9, bettering a 90-yard by Lynn Chandnois vs. Arizona in 1949 . . . it was also the longest offensive play from scrimmage in school history, topping the 93-yard pass from Tony Banks to Nigea Carter vs. Indiana in 1994 . . . scored five rushing TDs in win over No. 6 Michigan, the most ever against the Wolverines; that mark also tied for No. 1 in the FBS in a game in 2021 . . . had two of the top-14 single-game rushing performances in the FBS in 2021 (tied for No. 5 with 264 yards at Northwestern; No. 14 with 233 yards at Rutgers) . . . had at least one rushing TD in eight of the 12 games and 18 rushing TDs overall on the season (1.5 rushing TD/game), adding one receiving TD for 19 total TDs (1.6 total TD/game) . . . recorded eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 138 yards on a career-high tying 30 carries vs. Penn State, scoring one TD on a 2-yard run in the first quarter, rushing for a long of 35 yards . . . held to season lows in yards (25) and carries (6), and had 29 yards from scrimmage overall (4-yard reception) at Ohio State; only played in one series in the second half for a total of 23 offensive snaps against the Buckeyes . . . collected seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season with 143 yards on a career-high 30 carries vs. Maryland . . . also tallied 172 all-purpose yards (two catches for 29 yards, including season-long 17-yarder) and scored two touchdowns (1 yard in second quarter; 3 yards in fourth quarter) against theTerrapins . . . posted sixth 100-yard rushing outing of the season with 136 yards on 22 carries (6.2 ypc) at Purdue, and scored 15th rushing TD and 16th overall TD of the season with a 14-yard score in the second quarter, adding two catches for 20 yards to finish with 156 all-purpose yards . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, Maxwell Award National Player of the Week, The Athletic National Player of the Week and PFF Player of the Week for standout performance vs. Michigan, rushing for five touchdowns (27 yards and 8 yards in second quarter; 1 yard in third quarter; 58 yards and 23 yards in fourth quarter), the most ever against Michigan . . . according to PFF, was the highest-graded single-game rushing grade vs. Michigan in the PFF College Era (90.8), bettering previous mark of Dalvin Cook of Florida State (88.4) in 2016 and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin (81.6) in 2019 . . . the five TDs tied for the second most in school history (record: six by Blake Ezor vs. Northwestern in 1989; five by Javon Ringer vs. Eastern Michigan in 2008) . . . the five rushing TDs were the most by any player in the 114-game history of the rivalry . . . three rushing TDs came in second half alone on a Michigan defense that came into game only allowing only three rushing TDs all season . . . rushed for 197 yards on 23 carries (8.6 avg.), the third most by a Spartan against Michigan (T.J. Duckett with 211 yards in 2001; DeAndra Cobb with 205 in 2004) . . . also had three catches for 11 yards for 208 all-purpose yards . . . had 23 carries for 84 yards at Indiana . . . finished game at Rutgers with 24 carries for 233 yards, highlighted by a school-record 94-yard run that was the longest rush in SHI Stadium history overall by any player home or visitor, bettering the previous record of 91 yards by Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers vs. Tulane in 2010, and added one reception for 13 yards to finish with 246 all-purpose yards . . . in win over Rutgers, teamed with quarterback Payton Thorne (339 yards passing) and wide receiver Jalen Nailor (221 yards receiving) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, with MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . posted third 100-yard rushing game of the season with 126 yards on 24 carries in Western Kentucky contest, scoring three touchdowns in the first half (5, 5 and 3 yards) . . . had 19 carries for 61 yards against Nebraska, including a 23-yard gain on MSU's first play in OT, setting up game-winning field goal . . . registered second 100-yard rushing outing of the season, with 172 yards on 27 carries at Miami, and recorded first reception of the season with a second-quarter catch and later snared the first TD reception of his collegiate career with a 7-yard TD pass from Thorne, finishing game with three catches for 17 yards and a TD . . . had seven carries for 57 yards (8.1 ypc) with a 6-yard TD rush in limited action against Youngstown State, pushing and carrying several YSU defenders with him to the end zone . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and Maxwell Award National Player of the Week after erupting onto the scene in Spartan debut, taking handoff on opening offensive play of game and scampering 75 yards for opening TD, the first of four rushing touchdowns and ending with career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in MSU history – on 23 carries . . . it marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White . . . was the first time a Spartan scored four rushing TDs in a game since Edwin Baker in 2010 vs. Minnesota . . . according to ESPN Stats and Information, became the first Big Ten running back with 250-plus rushing yards and four rushing TDs in a single game since Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) in 2014 . . . according to Sports Info Solutions, since they began tracking yards after contact in 2016, no Big Ten running back generated more in a conference game than his 187 in Northwestern game, bettering previous top mark of 185 by Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) in 2017 and 182 by Saquon Barkley (Penn State) . . . was the first Spartan to record more than 200 rushing yards in a game since Le'Veon Bell (2012 at Minnesota, 266 yards) . . . the 264 yards were the most by a Spartan running back in an MSU season opener.
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